Cornell Dubilier and its Robotics
Combany Background
Cornell Dubilier’s roots can be traced back to 1909 when founder William
Dubilier first used glassy mineral called mica to help form a “condenser” (now called
a “capacitor”). While the mica capacitor saw limited success for its intended
application, it went on to revolutionize radio broadcast communications allowing for
better transmission over longer distances.
A privately held, American owned company, Cornell Dubilier Electronics has
earned a global reputation for manufacturing quality, high-end capacitors. Almost all
of the company’s capacitors are used in demanding industrial applications,
separating themselves from the competition.
Problems Encountered
Facing shorter production runs, rapidly changing customer demands and
impending labor shortages, manufacturers are turning to collaborative robots to
enable them to be responsive to these industry [Link] is advancing and
the demand for it is increasing. Dubilier are under more pressure than ever to fulfill
large orders and deliver the goods. Efficiency has never been more important, so
many are turning to modern robotics and automation including them in order to
improve production rates.
For certain jobs robots surpass humans in terms of the quality of the work that
is produced. Robots are more efficient than humans when there is a need for
precision positioning, repeatability, accurate inspection and measuring and robots do
not make mistakes because of fatigue. Manufacturing robots create efficiencies from
raw material handling to finished product packing.
Actions Undertaken
Daniel Brazinski, manufacturing manager at Cornell Dubilier, recalls looking
for an affordable automation solution without a steep learning curve that would
complement the company’s existing framework. When looking into Baxter, the
world’s first collaborative robot from Rethink, the first thing that stood out to Brazinski
and his team was the robot’s adaptability and flexibility.
Their first Baxter was deployed to a pick-and-place application unloading
prismatic capacitors from a labeling machine, a tedious job that was previously
completed using only human labor. The benefits of introducing Baxter to the
production line were noticeable immediately. An employee working on the line next
to Baxter came up with the idea to have the robot check attached brackets while
unloading the capacitors. Another employee suggested that Baxter try loading the
parts into the labeling machine. The engagement by Cornell Dubilier’s operators led
to several process improvements. The manufacturer has doubled the speed of its
labeling process from 125 parts an hour to 250 parts an hour, and freed its operators
from a tedious, manual process.
The Cornell Dubilier team deployed its second Baxter robot to inspect new
capacitor installations, working in tandem with proprietary company technology. The
robot uses a vision system developed in a Cornell Dubilier research and
development lab to inspect parts, which was previously performed manually. As a
result, Cornell Dubilier has been able to use its employees more effectively.
The employees at Cornell Dubilier have embraced Baxter robots, which are
officially a part of the company’s culture. Cornell Dubilier is actively looking at more
applications for the robots, and has already identified six additional tasks in the
Liberty facility alone where Baxter may be deployed. Furthermore, the team is using
Baxter as a litmus test for humans, by checking the complexity and difficulty of any
manual task with Baxter before assigning it to a human worker, Cornell Dubilier is
able to focus on increasing both the safety and comfort of humans on the factory
floor. In the end, Baxter improved efficiency, innovation, ROI and is only getting
started at Cornell Dubilier
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